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Spending Autumn With The Demons: John Kakusei Vs Ryūketsu Ōtamu
Spending Autumn With The Demons: John Kakusei Vs Ryūketsu Ōtamu Act I California Dreamin', The Dark Predator's Strike! The waves lapped against the sandy front of Monterrey. John lay on his beach towel on a large rock where he could feel the breezes. Autumn is upon us, he mused. A cooler of Snapple sat next to him, and he pulled one of the bottles out. Swiftly releasing the cap, he took a sip and set it on the table next to him. Ever since Hikaru opened his Winery, I've been bored silly. Saya is off who knows where. Mizu is traveling the world, Nodoka is working at the Winery, and Sayuri...''He paused. "Who really cares?" He took another sip, then mentally kicked himself. "Dang. I wish I could see them all again." John cracked his neck. "If anything, I want to have a fight. It's been forever since I showed my skills, and I want to do something rather than drink fruit juice." During the musings of the ignorant Soul Reaper, one would mistaken a ''shadow ''moving towards him from his backside direction. This entity only sought answers to questions within his mind. Trading one master for another, he only longed for solace, peace, and the thirst for power to be finally quenched. Seeing the man from afar, one would almost turn a blind eye and say he looked ''normal. But Ryūketsu was anything 'but ''normal... With a deft 'smelling' of the wind, the Hunter could tell with certainty that it was a Soul Reaper donning a Gigai. The fact he appeared to be on a psuedo vacation made the predator almost laugh. Whether this Reaper was a hoax or a genius, putting one-self in the position he did was inexcusable. After all...when one becomes a warrior, nowhere is safe! Draped in black-red cloak trappings, Ryūketsu raised his left hand, pointing at the entity from the distance of twenty meters estimate. Making the appearance of a simple 'Finger-Pistol', Ryūketsu charged a condensed amount of Spirit Energy to the point of it nearly becoming unrecognizable from any distance. Then, with a impassive stoic face, he released the pressure... "Byakurai..." SPRAAAAAACK! ...sending a pale-blue streak of penetrative, electrical energy towards John's neck, where the base would join the back and shoulders. In one swift move, he'd maim him, paralyze him, and suffocate him. That is, unless the Soul Reaper could react fast enough... "That was rude," said John calmly. He stood behind the person who attacked him. You almost destroyed my Snapple. This stuff ain't cheap, bub. A case of 12 costs anywhere from $10.99 to $14.99. You need to be more careful." "You're quite quick on your feet," the attacker spoke with a low tone, not skipping a beat as he lowered his right extended hand, "and here I thought you lured yourself into a false sense of security. I should've expected nothing less of someone of the Gotei 13..." "Well, I trained under a Captain who was also a Yonkō, so you can't underestimate any of my comrades or me." John set the case of Snapple down. "Also, I'd like to know who is shooting me." "'''Yonkō? No wonder my senses spoke otherwise about him," Ryūketsu thought while narrowing his eyes, turning around to face the human body-garbed Soul Reaper, while going over the information within his head, "would he be talking about the White Hair...or is he speaking of another? I'll just have to find out for myself..." "A simple stranger passing by," the predator spoke with a detached tone, closing his eyes before swiftly inhaling, "I just couldn't help but...smell...the blood-lust coming from your pores. I hoped doing you a favor by exterminating what nonchalant fairytale you were concocting your pitifully miniscule mind." "That doesn't answer my question," John flared a portion of his reitatsu. He glared at the 'stranger'. "Let's be more specific. What's your name?" The stranger merely stared at him, even as his hair and cloak flourished in the wake of the buffeting winds created by the release of a substantially potent Spiritual Pressure. Observing the man before him, he then spoke, "You want my name, boy? You'll have to do better than project such Spiritual Pressure..." Whish! "Impress me," the entity spoke, raising a hand and curled his finger in a 'come-on' gesture, "and I'll tell you my name, Soul Reaper." John materialized his Zanpakutō. "Welcome to the quiet before the storm hits." The area around John's reach exploded in a pillar of light. The gigai he was in disintegrated. "Former 6th Seat of the 7th Division, John Kakusei. Remember it, stranger. It'll echo in your mind." The Sky Weeps, the Fire Burns "Former?" The entity spoke out in query as the light blazed before his eyes causing him to blink as a result but not look away. After the winds from the transformation event slowed, Ryūketsu began placing his left hand on the hilt of what looked to be a swastika-tsuba katana on his left hip, with his right hand propped on his right hip, "I didn't think it was possible for Soul Reapers to become weaker. Did they degrade you for your lack of strength, pitiful Soul Reaper?" "Nah, friend. You got it all wrong. In the 7th Division, the seated officers from 6th to 3rd have to either be exceptional fighters, or know Bankai. We are all Captain-class or Lieutenant-class Soul Reapers." "That defeats the purpose of ranking, imbecile," Ryūketsu sighed as he kept his thoughts to himself. Deciding he had to show this entity why he didn't think much of him, he began breathing in a low, guttural tone. His body began to exude a dark, red aura as his Spiritual Pressure began to crackle the air, distorting it with a sudden violence... VRRRRRRRM! ...before discharging into an incredibly heightened blast of Spiritual Power around himself, causing a reverberating shock wave around his body, sending unholy sensations in the air that didn't feel like any Soul Reaper or Hollow this boy has ever felt. "Since you've impressed me with your little speech, to a degree, I will give you my name," The man spoke as he unsheathed his blade, but not releasing it as he kept his stoic, hazel-eyed stare upon the boy as the metal grated on his sheathe, "my name is Ryūketsu Ōtamu, current Leader 'of my Master's Hantā kindred. I will show you true mettle from the likes you've never witnessed, ''Captain-class Soul Reaper," he finished with a mock disdain, holding his stance for battle, awaiting the Soul Reaper's first move before he would make his own. "Hantā? Never heard of them before." John barely kept his composure. What's this power? It's as sinister as Nodoka's and as powerful as Mizu's Bankai at the peak of it's power. Dammit, what have I gotten myself into? NO! John readied to strike. I trained under Hikaru himself. I can win this! "Allow me to educate you..." SHFT-SWISH! Ryūketsu moved with vivid, blinding speed as he utilized a Flash Step to move directly past John's left side. Within arrival, Ryūketsu spun around in a pirouette fashion, and slashed out with a Spiritually-heightened stroke towards his unguarded arm, intending on either severing it or sporting first blood in their clash. KATRASH! John rolled out of the way in a Legend of Zelda style and swiftly turned to face Ryūketsu. "I'm not as fast as Nodoka or Hikaru, or as strong as Mizu." John smiled and pointed to himself with his left thumb. "But of all the members of the 7th Division, nobody can land a blow on me behind my back. That's what I've made sure of, since that day when I lost all my troops because I was not paying attention." He pointed his sword towards the demon. "So if you want to not waste any more energy, fight me face to face, or squander all your power on useless strikes." "Please..." SHFT-SHFT-SHFT! "...I haven't even started trying to outrun you," Ryūketsu spoke in a smooth tone, as his body moved rapidly in a series of Flash Steps that would form a triangle pattern around the Soul Reaper. With each passing Flash Step of his own, he'd lash out with a slash, a thrust, a kick, any number of strikes to overwhelm the young warrior in order to allow him a incapacitating blow. John's training with Hikaru was not something to be trifled with. He parried each slash, thrust, and kick that came his way. He was not going to back down now. "I can see you." He slashed at the place where Ryūketsu would be next. CLANG-SKRRRT! "He's good," Ryūketsu silently thought as he clashed his blade with John's, their edges spawning sparks in the wake of the intensity of the opposing opponents, his eyes stared stoically back, "he's definitely a student of one of the Four Yonkō.'' If I knew which one, I can counter his movements more effectively. Still..." "'Sokatsui!" Ryūketsu uttered aloud, ingeniously sifting his Spirit Energy to his blade, and discharging the raw discharge of the level 30 Kidō at point blank towards the opposing Soul Reaper. Slashing in sync with the discharge of spiritual force and energy, Ryūketsu backpedaled away to observe the damage that would've been done to his opponent. "...he's far from being one of their star pupils..." A maple leaf with sword edges guarded John. Sounds of the wind could be heard from the edges of it. "Sokatsui isn't enough to bring out my Shikai." John stood with the blade transforming into a double-edged sword. "I must be pretty rusty to let something like that happen." "You let your guard down..." WHIZ-SMACK! Without warning, Ryūketsu bent the transformed blade of his opponent to the side, and stretched out his hand, jettisoning a transparent chain towards the man's unguarded chest, intending on sending him reeling backwards from the sheer force and possible penetration in the man's body. "Idiot." Akireiki transformed into a claymore, right as John swung the blade, releasing a kamaitachi. The wind-scythe deflected the attack with ease. "I didn't know what you were tossing at me, but my Akumukokakku can fire off blasts to cast away any attack that comes near me. Also," He held Akireiki to where his eyes peered over the blade's edge. "Akireiki bends only to my will. Not the will of anybody else. Not even Seireitou Kawahiru." "Really? Fascinating," Ryūketsu spoke with feigned interest, swinging the invisible chain that sliced and broke the earth around himself, slowly but surely crackling with unholy pressure, "the will of anything in this plane? What about those...from the pits of Hell?" SHIIIIINK-BOOM! And just like that, when swinging the chain towards John, a magnanimous discharge of fiery crimson Spiritual Power was released in John's vicinity, causing an uproar of earth covered in flames, with the boy at its epicenter, threatening to shred and incinerate him from the sheer violence of the release of energy from it. It was reminiscent to a fissure of Hell's flames erupting from ashen soil. A very image that would make any seasoned warrior feel trepidation. John deflected most of the flames with kamaitachis, but they soon overwhelmed him to where he had to fire a quick wind blast with Akireiki's base form. "Dude, seriously, do you know how much collateral damage we've caused so far?" The entire coast of California was scorched to a crisp. "And hell flames? I've fought against a man who wields the sword to tame demons." John dashed over to the ocean. "Your fireworks do not impress me." He fanned a tidal wave towards Ryūketsu. If someone said the whole coast of California was turned to a crispy piece of overdone bacon, it would've been an understatement. However, a good fifty meters of yellow sandy beach had quickly turned into a plethora of scorched earth and craters, as their battle began to escalate. As the Soul Reaper rushed to the tide, Ryūketsu sprinted after him, sprinting with his body hugging the air low while keeping his eye on the exceptionally trained opponent before him. As a wave of wind billowed out towards him, kicking up a portion of the water with it in excessive force, Ryūketsu quickly spun his blade in front of himself while moving. Just a few moments before the wind could strike him, he uttered lowly, "Hadō # 58..." SNATCH! "...Tenranshō!" Ryūketsu uttered the proclamation, discharging an incredible widening pillar of a tornado, propelled with extreme force with the merged and full-powered spell of Shō, it aimed on striking John straight on and send him reeling across the air space. In fact, it was pushing him directly in the path of a large upcoming wave that any surfer would dare to take a chance on boarding...unfortunately, a hapless speeding body wouldn't enjoy it as much. "Oh come on!" yelled John. "Can't I get an attack in edgewise? I fired a freaking typhoon to create a gigantic wave of water!" John gripped Akireiki till his hand bled. "That's ENOUGH!!!" He swung his Zanpakutō with such magnitude that the wave dissipated, turning into a tornado of water around him. The gale force winds around the small hurricane began to draw the burnt trees and scorched sands on the coastline towards it. Though it seemed that the coastline would be torn away, the hurricane began to compress into one area: John's Akireiki. He had transformed it into it's Zankutai mode, and the gales began swirling around the blade until it glowed green. "KAMAITACHI NO KIBA!" He brought the sword down as if it were a hammer. The speed of the wind blade emanating from John's sword could not be described. It tore the very air itself as it sped towards Ryūketsu. "This...This power is incredible! I can't believe his Shikai can be this powerful...!" Ryūketsu thought as he observed the Soul Reaper called John, cry out in fury towards his opponent. The power of this young man's Shikai was unreal...truly of a Captain's stature, a twister of incredible aerodynamic power began to funnel winds in an unimaginable density. As he measured the true power behind this attack, Ryūketsu's eyes widened, allowing himself to backpedal at his highest speed to the beachfront. As the blade of his enemy began to shift colors, he knew the man was about to attack. Weaving a number of hand-signs, Ryūketsu spoke aloud while his body glowed brightly of his own deft Spiritual power. "Bakudo #91..." SLAM! "...Kokushokuhatsu Chakushin Kiseimon!!!" And with the loud declaration as well as slamming his palms onto the beach ground, two parallel-aligned pillars erupted from the ground with a 25 meter distance between them. As the attack was being released with incredible speed, the chains rapidly pulled up the gate, revealing a black, obsidian gate with various kanji red letters engraved upon its surface. Then the attack came... SSSSSSSHIIIIIIIIIINK-BWHOOOSH!!!! With great, collosal intensity the pressurized emerald energy crashed into the most powerful barrier known throughout the Soul Society. Shaking, cracking and searing its mark upon the gate, gale force winds flew about chaotically around the 25 meter high by 25 meter wide gate, decimating the landscape behind the war-torn beach, throwing haplessly parked cars and crushing shacks along with all the vegetation and roads nearby. Bring the Pain! Punishment for the Stubborn However...the gate stood firm before its might and power, with only a long series of scars on its foundation to show the cutting power of the technique used against its foundation. Ryūketsu then, at long last, allowed himself to smile. "You actually thought, a measly Shikai technique could actually harm me? I must be too cautious to use such an elaborate defense against such a weak power such as yourself," Ryūketsu spoke as he levitated himself to rest on top of the monstrous-sized gate, crossing his arms as he looked with a smug grin on his face, "unless you use Bankai, nothing you can do will have any affect against me...considering I possess a Bankai myself..." "Don't...be...too...proud..." John wheezed from the effort and strain on his lungs. He pointed to behind Ryūketsu, "You just... got lucky." Across the plains behind them, 2 perfect lines of sky blue showed themselves, and the devastation of the land could be seen next to the demon who cast his shield. There was nothing but flat land for an incredible distance, showing the true potency of the attack had outside his shield. "You are a true apprentice of Hikaru Kurosaki, being so arrogant when you've wasted so much Spiritual Energy in trying to kill me with that one move," Ryūketsu spoke with a cool, composed visage, even as he observed the apparent destruction that the wind blade attack caused, "and without a Bankai, you can't come close to forcing me to draw out my Shikai. You aren't worth the effort in killing anymore..." "I'm not arrogant," John smiled through great pain. "I'm just stubborn. And who says I need a Bankai to defeat you?" He lifted his sword as it transformed into the Akumukokkaku form. "My master's greatness was not measured by his Bankai or his Captaincy. He mingled with us 'lower' Shinigami, because we were his friends. We revered him as Captain, yet from me to Saya, we could talk freely with him. In the process, we learned many things about our Captain. Things he wouldn't share with anyone, not even with the Yonkō." He stood in a fighting position, even though he looked like he would fall at any moment. "Captain Hikaru Kurosaki's value as a person, as a leader, and as my friend, is in his desire to protect that which means most to him! And let this be known to you, Ryūketsu Ōtamu! If I could not hold my own against you, Hikaru would have been here long ago to stop this fight." SHFT! "Let us see how long you keep that bravado up," Ryūketsu spoke lowly, with a vehement disgust laying over his eyes as he raises his blade towards his opponent, "after I inflict untold horrors upon your body and mind. Punish..." SSSSSHINK! "...Shūnenbukai," Ryūketsu spoke aloud in an anticipating tone as his blade lengthened a foot, his guard turned into a black cross, and the edge shifted into a double-edged weapon, resembling something more akin to a rapier longsword hybrid than a katana now. Eerily it had blood-seeped runes running across the length of the blade, just adding to the intoxicating Spiritual Pressure it released. SWISH! Moving at incredible speed, slightly faster than before, Ryūketsu moved to slash his enemy's exposed side, intending on utilizing the unknown Kogasu ''trait. Intending on incapacitating his opponent with sheer, unbearable pain, Ryūketsu hoped to end this little charade before it actually took anymore effort to exterminate his life. ''Dammit... thought John, That Kamaitachi sapped nearly all of my strength. 4 seconds to impact. I have to think of something. 3 seconds to impact. But what?! 2 seconds to impact. I can't switch blade arms. 1 second to impact. I need another blade... 0.5 seconds to impact. Ryūketsu's blade was 0.32 millimeters from John's left arm. Then 2 centimeters; then a meter; then 40 meters. John fell towards the ocean, gaining speed as he fell. Interlude: John's Power "Across the West coast, untold devastation from what appears to be a typhoon has taken out most of the central Californian coast. There have been reports that a 'wind-scythe' was the cause of most of the Central Valley being wiped away, but scientists have yet to discover the origins of such a powerful attack. Strangely enough, no one has been reported missing or killed. At this moment in time, the US National Guard has been dispatched to the Monterrey area to evacuate any other people still in the vicinity. From Los Angelas, California, this has been Jack Ryder. Back to you, Tom." Hikaru clicked off the television. Kirika clutched her chest and silently prayed for all who were affected. Nodoka sighed and stated, John's Akireiki is quite devastating to the Human World, eh, Hikaru? "Wind is a powerful element," answered Hikaru. "Almost as powerful as fire, but it's still up there." Nodoka scratched his shoulder, Still, to do all that damage without a single casualty, that takes some God-given skill. No wonder you spent so much time training John. "His power is truly a force to be reckoned with," Hikaru sipped from a glass of wine. "He may have awakened his Zanpakuto early, but that does not mean he had full control over it." I didn't have control over Itoyanagi when I first achieved Bankai. Heck, I still don't have full control over it's power now. Nodoka paused. You don't think that John is close to achieving Bankai now, do you? Hikaru closed his eyes. "Right now, he's falling free into the ocean. He only has a few moments to recover and dodge the next attack." That doesn't answer my question, Hikaru. This isn't like you to avoid questions. "What are you talking about, Nodoka?" asked Kirika. "Hikaru doesn't answer when something doesn't need-" "John has no Bankai," answered Hikaru. What? Kirika furrowed her brow. "Hikaru! At least let me finish!" "I'm sorry, Kirika," He kissed her forehead and hugged her gently. "Can you please forgive me?" Kirika nuzzled closer to Hikaru, "Oh, you're just so sweet. I can't stay mad at you." She smiled and kissed his neck. Hikaru...topic at hand? "Right, right." Hikaru settled into the couch caressing his wife. "When I first met John, I noticed something very interesting about him and his Zanpakuto." Nodoka was interested now. "His Zanpakuto, Akireiki, gave off the feeling that it was only part of a complete Zanpakuto." Part of? Question overshadowed Nodoka's usually stoic face. "Akireiki is Autumn's Chill when translated into English. Autumn is one of the 4 seasons, so what can you take from that?" There are 3 others with season-based Zanpakuto? answered Nodoka. "That's what I thought at first, but then I took a good look at John's reitatsu. It looked like it was under a heavy Gentei Kaijo." Nodoka was silent, even in his mind. Kirika looked up at her husband and asked, "What are you saying, Hikaru?" "If my guess is right," started Hikaru. He paused, then ended with, "John Kakusei was born with Bankai-like abilities." Return to the Fight: Arise "You got lucky to dodge my attack, boy," Ryūketsu thought as he reared around, and propelled downwards after his opponent, moving at faster speeds than the free falling body, "your arm would be feeling like its dipped in molten lava with how much pain that would be running through your body. Had I actually wounded you, you might actually be suffering from a seizure or a heart attack from how painful it would be..." SHFT! "But its over for you!" Ryūketsu thought, as he used Flash Step, appearing directly below the free falling boy, just above the surface of the ocean. As the falling frame of his opponent would be nearing closer, Ryūketsu slashed his blade in sync with the falling form, intending on cutting a clean line through the man's head just above his nasal cavity. If nothing else, Ryūketsu would inflict a grazing blow and a mind-shocking inducement of outrageous pain. John slipped in and out of consciousness. Pain...dark...pain...dark...more dark...snow? John lay in a snowy field, light flakes of ice melting on his back. John blinked. He felt no cold. In fact, he felt normal. A figure approached him from the flurries. "You have awakened me, John Kakusei." "Who are you?" John asked. He noticed Akireiki was with him, and in it's Akumukokkaku form. "I still have my sword, so what is this place?" "It is your inner world, John," Akireiki spoke. "AH!" John dropped his blade and took a few steps back. "YIPE! It's cold! Why did you drop me, idiot!" The blade shivered. "You may not feel the cold, but I do! I'm an autumn, not a winter!" "Sorry," John picked up Akireiki and inspected it. "Wait, my inner world?" He looked at the figure, who appeared to be a snow princess of some kind. Her pale beauty almost drove John to blushing, "If we're in the world of Zanpakutō, then who is she?" "I am the next power you shall receive, John," She answered. "We haven't much time. You are close to hitting the water, and if you do, you will die." "What?" John was taken aback. "Well, what do I do?" "Call out my name," responded the princess. "But I don't know your name," said a nervous John. "Your master always said never to have doubts in battle, right?" She was angry now. "How could you pick a time like this to be quivering? You have already held your own against someone far superior to a Captain-class Soul Reaper! Of all the times, why on earth would you falter now?!" She's right, John took in all of her words. She's right. If I retreat, I die. So instead... "I'll fight to my last breath!" The princess smiled, "Don't get too hyped up. You should still be alive when the others awaken." "Others?" John asked, then slapped his face. "I'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to recover from that attack!" "Good," the princess walked closer to John, "Just remember..." she playfully nipped his nose, and kissed him lightly. "to always stay warm in the winter." Back in reality, John closed in on the water and Ryūketsu. He opened his eyes and turned to face him, "Cover everything, Fuyu No Arashi!" A great ice shield separated the combatants, falling to the dark ocean below with Ryūketsu beneath it. TK-SCRAAAAAPE!!! "What is this-?!" Was Ryūketsu's last thoughts voiced as his blade slashed out and into what looked like an incredibly swift projection of ice that his blade couldn't penetrate. A shield that pummeled him directly into the ocean below, with a thunderous crash of water in all directions, sending a colossal wave of water towards the battle-wrecked shore and struck the giant gate barrier from earlier with enough force to almost send it to the ground. "I understand...what he is now...!" "YES!" John jumped with delight. "I AM EPIC!" He laughed and danced on the ice until he slipped and fell down. "Ouch..." "This is our master?" asked Fuyu No Arashi. Akireiki sighed, "Sadly, yes." John stood back up, "OK, we're agreed that the last attack wasn't the decider of the battle, right?" "Yep," answered Fuyu No Arashi. "No shitaki, Sherlock," retorted Akireiki. "And we all agree that playing 'Fun, Fun, Fun' by the Beach Boys right after we destroyed most of the Californian coast would be in poor taste, right?" "Yep." "Totally, but we'll still play it anyway, right?" "I think we have more important things to worry about," stated Fuyu No Arashi. "Such as me having the nickname Yukihime since it sounds prettier, and the fact that John doesn't know what I look like." John brought Fuyu No Arashi to eye level. It was an elegant scimitar with the characters 雪-姫 (Yuki-Hime) on the blade. The blade's whiteness could cause snow-blindness if stared at for too long, so John could only examine in short bursts. She was a 10/10 babe when I saw her in the Zanpakutō world. No wonder I'd go blind by staring at her blade form. Inside the World of Zanpakutō, Yukihime blushed. Cl-Click... The ice that John began standing on began to crack around him. Deep within the recesses of the ocean's depths, what could be heard was a faint rumbling, a blazing red light shining beneath John's soles. That clicking soon turned into audible cracking... C-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! ...and then the cracks turned into... SPRAAAACK-SHIIIIIIIIING! ...dozens of barbed chains that sought to wrap around, pulverize, and shred his body, with each pass having muscular numbing properties. Ryūketsu started his counterattack, and he wasn't even on the surface of the water in trying! OPTIONS! NOW! John frantically asked his Zanpakutō. Let me lead, said a quiet Yukihime. John's eyes were overshadowed light blue, and he swung his sword to the ground yelling, "Fubuki!" A wave of air propelled John to the air about 300 meters away from the grip of the chains. Now it was visible that he held Fuyu No Arashi in his left, and Akireiki in his right. Whew! Fast thinking. You're our master, retorted Yukihime. You're the one who should do the fast thinking around here. John surveyed the area below. He's probably still underwater, so... He lifted up Fuyu No Arashi. "Enclose, Hōhyō!" The ice platforms began to converge on Ryūketsu. VRRROAAAAAAR!!! Within the water's thunderous shaking, suddenly the water began to shake and spin, with a slowly rising Ryūketsu at its epicenter. The maelstrom generated crushed the ice around him, as electric tendrils of his ravaging, dark Spiritual Pressure created a nearly constant whirlpool of water circle around him the size of a football field in width. His eyes glared vehemently at John, as he raised his blade in his direction, speaking lowly, "Zainin Hitsugi!" VOOM-SHFT-SHFT-SHFT-CLANG! A energized stream of Spiritual Power discharged from his blade and into the atmosphere, directly in John's path. Within near seconds, the dark clouds above John manifested three pillars of energy that transformed into clad-black, morbid appearing slabs to surround John on all sides, latching together to form a suffocatingly tight prison. If one would see from the outside...it clearly looked like a prisoner's coffin from Hell! "Shūryō Shiki no Uzu: Me!" John swung his blades in a clockwise fashion from ground perspective whipping up a huge twister preventing the blades inside the box of death to come near John. The coffin around John slid down the twister into the watery depths below. John smiled and held out Fuyu No Arashi to show Ryūketsu. "She's a definite keeper!" The Chill of Winter in Silicon Valley "As I expected," the Hantā spoke as he rose to the air with a Death Step, "walking" across the air-space while holding his Shikai aloft and studiously narrowing his eyes, keeping a stoic expression as he spoke out, "your Zanpakutō was actually a Dual Zanpakutō-type to begin with. You just didn't have the strength or resolve to manifest it until now. That's why you couldn't control your Zanpakutō individually...it had the output of something close to a Bankai when it should've been divided evenly between your two Spirits within you..." John scratched his head and chuckled. "Well, I'm not even sure if it's that. See..." he held up Akireiki. "When I converse with Akireiki in the Zanpakutō World, I'm in an area surrounded by trees in fall, and he's a man similar to my build." He held Fuyu No Arashi to where Ryūketsu could see clearly. "My new one, Fuyu No Arashi, appeared as a snow princess of sorts, and she was in a world of snow alone. And even Akireiki felt uncomfortable there, and he was still in blade form." John readied himself. "They're totally unrelated swords, yet I feel as though they are connected somehow. And I have another piece of information. Yukihime mentioned 'others'." "What...?!" Ryūketsu's eyes widened, halting his advance entirely at this revelation, "this...boy...student of the famed Yonkō, Hikaru Kurosaki...has more than two Zanpakutō spirits?!" With this in mind, Ryūketsu realized that this boy's strength was more than he gave him credit for. To have the ability to manifest two separate Zanpakutō Spirits is a feat few can accomplish, let alone Twin Zanpakutō Spirits. But to harness the power of Three, let alone Four 'is something that could rival the power of the most seasoned if not most Powerful Captains of the Gotei 13! This prospect...led Ryūketsu to make a rare smile, that turned into laughter. Laughter that was filled with both anticipation and irony, raising his face to the sky while covering his face while still grinning in a sadistic, malicious fashion, "You are definitely a student of a Yonkō, boy. To think Hikaru found someone who could wield this kind of power. In time...you could rival anything the Gotei 13 has ever conceived in over a thousand years! HAHAHAHAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" "Whoa, seriously?" asked John. "So wait, no other person in the Gotei 13 has manifested more than 2 Zanpakutō spirits?" ''Not even your Captain, added Akireiki. Not like he needs more power, but I'm just saying. "That's pretty cool," John inspected his swords, his comrades, his priceless assistants. And to know there were more yet to be met. John grinned, and not at the prospect of attaining more power, but for the chance to gain new partners and become a legend of the Soul Society. "I guess my Captain has really good eyes. And I'm lucky he does, otherwise I would have wasted away in my old squad." SHINK-SPLURCH! "Huh? What happened?" asked John after he heard a sickening stab. "Unfortunately for you, '''Yohaneden Kakusei, I don't wish to give my enemies another 'trump card'," Ryūketsu smiled thickly, plunging his Shikai blade into his left hand out the other side, showing a grotesque spray of blood that seemed to spray around his form. Then, an unforgettable word was spoken, that would seal the Soul Reaper's fate. "That's kind of gross, man," said John. "Just because you heard about the traits of my Zanpakutō, doesn't mean you should-" "Bankai..." SSSSSSSPRAAAAACK-VROAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!! Ryūketsu's body became enraptured in a column of bright crimson Spiritual Power, extending into a tidal wave of Spiritual Energy that detonated outwards into a concussive shockwave that would send enough force to send the opposing Soul Reaper flying through the air, reeling towards the air space and the shattered coastline. The cyclone of water flowed around him extended for nearly an entire mile from the amount of power flowing through his body, with the red column expanding with him at its epicenter. John defended just in time, withstanding most of the blast. "Ah, so that's why you stabbed yourself. I guess things are going to get interesting now." He found it in him to smile, but he didn't know for how long. Spending Autumn With The Demons: John Kakusei Vs Ryūketsu Ōtamu Act II The Fight of Insanity! Shikai vs. Bankai! "...Fuhen Setsujoku," Ryūketsu spoke in a grating, guttural tone as his form exited the raging crimson skyscraper-sized pillar of Spiritual Energy. His body seemed to be wrapped in a blood-soaked suit with a metalic faceplate acting as a helm with a breastplate that runs down his torso and a pair of metalic bracers and boots, all of the above seemingly menacingly enamored with studded spikes. With a serrated, menacing blade sheathed on his back, Ryūketsu felt and appeared more of a monster from a Horror Film than an actual warrior now. Anyone else hear the song 'Monster' by Skillet playing? asked Akireiki. No, but I think I get the idea, answered John. So, is he a Level 3 Akuma now? Because I left my Exorcist Sword at home. No, he's definitely in Bankai, said Yukihime. You have an Exorcist Sword? Yeah, admitted John. It only works on demons though. Technically, isn't he a demon? inquired Akireiki. John paused. Crap...we could have won this battle from the get-go. Akireiki smiled defiantly. Well, looks like we'll have to beat him the old-fashioned way; with blood, sweat, convenient power-ups, and good ole elbow grease! The whole part of Ryūketsu going into Bankai has been overshadowed by you morons and your D.Gray-man references and not realizing that our enemy is roughly 5-10 times stronger than us, explained Yukihime. In short, we're screwed, said Akireiki blankly. Yep, affirmed Yukihime. Prep a battle stance, John. And saw something menacing. John held Akireiki out towards Ryūketsu. "You're going to regret the day you came out of Hell," John's intensity flared to an all-time high. Akireiki emanated screaming winds and Fuyu no Arashi froze the air around it. "Because you're returning with more than a spanking, Ryūketsu." "Hahahaha!" Ryūketsu chuckled a menacingly, metalic guttural tone in sync with the rise and fall of his shoulders, "you're waving that thing at me as if that's in the same league as me. You actually have the delusion your weapons can even work against me? Laughably admirable. But in reality, your weapon..." SHFT-SNATCH! "...is nothing more than a frail, broken toy," Ryūketsu moved with such lightning speeds it almost made John feeling as if he was standing still in the wake of a collosal force. Appearing within the blink of an eye, Ryūketsu reached out with his right hand, grasping the maple-leaf shaped fan blade with ease, and began applying pressure that made the weapon contort and crush into a mauled piece of scrap metal, "see how easy it breaks, Kakusei? Just like how easy I'm going to break you...and how much I'm going to enjoy it!" "You're really stupid," said John. He held Fuyu No Arashi above Ryūketsu. "FUBUKI!" He slashed downward, sending a tempest of absolute zero degree wind. WHOOOSH-CRRRRK!!! In a near instant, Ryūketsu's form became instantaneously frozen, having his whole body covered by a sheen of ice, apparently paralyzing his whole body. It seemed that Kakusei had defeated this nightmarish foe with a single blow, due to a careless mistake made by the latter. However... "Hahahahaha," the grating voice of nightmarish entity chuckled, as hands moved and the whole body shattered the ice off him like it was dry glue, "you don't get it, do you? You're at a level that isn't achieved by your petty Shikai..." Shft-BLAAAAM! Ryūketsu reared back his faceplate-covered helm, before striking against the Soul Reaper's face, utilizing such incredible force that he'd propel into the ground far below, in the wake of a break in air pressure, sending a shock wave in the excess of the crash landing below. "...that was my head," Ryūketsu spoke as he looked down far above the Soul Reaper, his body covered in a vicious Spiritual Pressure, distorting the air and electrifying the space, "and I still have both of my arms, and my legs, and my whole body. Try and see reason and give up now, I might only break half of the bones in your body." The crater John was in constituted most of what was left of Monterrey. "Ow...That really hurts like hell." John's entire body shook from the impact. He looked at Akireiki. It was as good as new. So much for my 'lure him into thinking his Bankai can overcome me then flash freeze him' plan. Luckily, I could see the directions he was trying to bend Akireiki to and mirror them with Yaibachi. It still hurt, complained Akireiki. I didn't know I could bend that way. In another life, you think you could be a contortionist? Probably. But then I'd have to be a girl in order not to be made fun of. You are both perverts, mused Yukihime. And you'd want a guy who could bend his body like a pretzel? asked Akireiki. Yukihime was silent. "So, Ryūketsu, right?" called up John. "Are you sure you're not a Level 3 Akuma? That would make things a whole lot easier on me." SHFT-BOOOOM!!! "You aren't taking me very seriously," Ryūketsu spoke in a detached tone, as his body moved with such tremendous speed and force downwards, his metallic boot slammed into his chest and created a deeper crater, spreading fissures of pressure for a great distance in all directions, "that isn't a good thing for you...medically anyways," he ground the sole of his boot, intending on breaking the boy's ribs into grounded powder, "and to your answer, Hantā, are not of the ilk you speak of!" Cries of agony poured out of John's mouth. He couldn't formulate any strategy to get out of this. Was this the end? CRACK! A large muscular man punched Ryūketsu off of John. "You sir, are a detestable being unworthy of my fists." The man stood at a grand height, and his only hair was a small twirl of blond above his forehead. His eyes shone with a sky blue, and his gauntlets were bloody. "Now, witness the magnificent technique of Haru Hyōki which shall be remembered for generations!" Honorable Valor, Respectable Muscle! John's Third Zanpakutō Awakens! ... ...Huh... Why does it not hurt anymore? It feels...warm...and...squishy? John awoke from his world of pain to find a young girl of about 18 years with blond hair, blue eyes, and a cute blushing face from him squeezing her chest with his left hand. In what he thought were his last 0.05 seconds to live, he thought, Man, she is cute. She's in a whole other league of beautiful. Wait, I'm groping her right now. I probably should let go, but I'm probably going to die anyway. At least I die happy and aroused...wait, I'm not dying. I'm...healing up? All the aches and pains of his body had disappeared. He still held onto the girl's chest. The awkward silence was broken with, "Um...I was dying not 6 seconds ago, right?" "Yes," answered the girl. "I did not know what being touched by another man was like 6 seconds ago either. But I suppose some strange things can happen in short periods of time." She put her hands on John's arm. "Could you please let go? I don't know how long my brother can hold off Ryūketsu." John let go before she had finished speaking and inspected his body. Every wound was gone, and he felt better than he had at the beginning of the fight. He looked at the girl. "Are you, the spirit of spring?" The girl looked at John with surprise. "How did you know?" "I felt revived from the worst pain ever." John smiled. "And spring is the season of life coming forth from the earth. And to be perfectly honest, you look like a wood nymph." The girl's eyes brightened with glee. "You really think so? Thank you <3." John looked over at Ryūketsu and the man battling him. It must have been the girl's brother, but they looked nothing alike. Then the man turned his head to face John. The eyelashes of the man and his sister were exactly the same. John nodded to him, and the man nodded back, then faced Ryūketsu. "Ahhhh, I think I actually felt that," Ryūketsu said with renewed vigor, his head bent in one direction before turning to regard the newcomer, already gauging his Spiritual Pressure with ease within the distance separating them, "now, could you kindly tell me what stupidity overcame you to interrupt me? I was busy killing that miserable excuse of a Soul Reaper, and now I'm going to have to kill you slowly too..." "HMMM?!" the man who called himself Haru Hyōki furrowed his brow, and flexed his muscles. "Do you think you can kill this? I am the embodiment of spring! Where life begins again, and new lives are created. AND where men and women alike unleash their passions for each other in glorious union of bodies!" Is he for real? asked Yukihime. Oh my Rei-oh, started Akireiki. What? He's going to be in the same world as us until the day John dies. Yukihime was silent, again. "So, he's another Zanpakutō spirit," stated John. No, he's Major Alex Louis Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist. OF COURSE he's another Zanpakutō spirit! exclaimed Akireiki. Geez, you don't have to be so snippy, said John. And did Eshi over there call me a miserable excuse for a Soul Reaper? For the last time, he's NOT a Japanese Level 3 Akuma with a painting fetish! yelled Akireiki. Now stop cracking Waizurii and beat Ryūketsu to a bloody pulp! John nodded, I see your point. Yukihime facepalmed. I'm surrounded by idiots. With a loud voice, John called out, "Bring Me To Life!" Haru Hyōki the male and Haru Hyōki the female looked towards John. "Haru Hyōki!" Haru Hyōki the male turned into bright white energy, then sped towards the lower part of John's shihakusho. He transformed into a pair of khaki pants with the characters for Seasons on both pant-legs where the knees would be. Haru Hyōki the female hugged John from behind and whispered, "Go get 'em, tiger." She transformed into a green cloak that covered over John's upper part of his shihakusho. "Now I got my battle gear on," he said with a confident smile. The Spring In His Step "Don't tell me," Ryūketsu spoke with a grating, now irritated tone, "that your third Zanpakutō doesn't even have weapon forms?" Ryūketsu spoke in a unbelieving tone that the Soul Reaper had gotten any stronger. If what he just witnessed was true, his third Zanpakutō, which was actually a twin set of Zanpakutō themselves, actually had no real weapon form but more of a Clad-Type form? Wasn't that a trait reserved for Bankais? "Summon a thousand useless Zanpakutō '''all you want,'"'' Ryūketsu spoke in a resigned tone, shrugging before lighting himself up in a powerful surge of electrifying Spiritual Pressure, sending painful sensations in the air just to be near himself, "it won't change the fact that I will crush you a thousand times more painfully! You, and your spirits, will die by my hands!" "I shall not die," answered John silently. "And my Zanpakutō are not useless." His spiritual pressure sky-rocketed to a level equating a Bankai. "They are my precious comrades. Something you cannot possibly understand, you Akuma wannabe!" "His Spiritual Power's increased again?! And now to that of a Bankai? This boy is becoming more trouble than he's worth," Ryūketsu growled inwardly, but looked completely unaffected and stoic on the outside. It didn't matter to Ryūketsu if even the most powerful Captain released a Bankai to battle his own, as his power squanders any hopes Bankai could allow for anyone. And he'd teach this Soul Reaper soon enough... "Let's go!" Ryūketsu snarled, as he took a step onto the ashen, cracked soil beneath him... VOOM-WHOOSH! ...before reappearing within an immense burst of speed, blindingly striking his fist towards John's face, followed up with a series of high-speed, concussive-thunderous punches to his being, intending on pummeling him to submission if nothing else but to keep him from fighting back. He would not let a whelp trained by someone worth is time get the better of him! He will kill the Yonkō...just as ordered by his Master! John stood strong against Ryūketsu. He deflected the attacks using Akireiki and Fuyu No Arashi. He disappeared from Ryūketsu's view only to appear behind him. "My turn." He held up Akireiki. "Kamaitachi." He fired a blade of air, thrice strong than before at Ryūketsu's back. "His speed and reaction timing has increased!" Ryūketsu noted inwardly, turning around to face his enemy as he backpedaled, only to note too late he was releasing that dreaded Wind-based technique, "he's firing that...again?!-" BWHOOOOSH! "NNNNNGH!!!" Ryūketsu growled out, placing his left hand out to sent a surging force of Spiritual Power towards the emerald wind, pushing his body back a good twenty meters from the sheer force it had, as well as the painful slashes it made across his body where it was weakest, "GRAAAAAH!!!" BWAAAM! "That hurt, you upstart bitch!" Ryūketsu growled out towards John, pulsating with magnanimously heightened Spiritual Power. The tendrils were so erratic, they detonated to and fro around the landscape as he began marching towards him, "hurting me is a really bad idea..." VRRRROAAAAARRR!!! "...my power..." Ryūketsu began to explain, rearing back his fist, gathering bright blue-white electrical energies around it that made a whirlwind flow around the battlefield they've chosen. And then... SPRAAAACK-BOOM!!! "...comes from my pain!" Ryūketsu demonstrated, as he discharged a surge of pain-inducing energy in the form of a large Spiraling lightning bolt, moving at speeds that were nearly nigh impossible to dodge, aiming to paralyze the warrior with overloaded nerve endings. Such was the power of his Kurushimeru! "CRAP!" John saw no way to dodge the bolt. Quick! Cape stun! yelled Haru Hyōki the female. John whipped the cape around to counter the blast. The bolt deflected off of the cape and into the reaches of space. Huh? What happened? asked a confused John. I can reflect demonic energy to an extent, answered Haru Hyōki the female. However, that was a one-time use. His energy is way too powerful. John felt the cloak shiver. And this is the tip of the iceberg. Why don't we just drop an iceberg on him? asked Yukihime. That would make him more powerful, replied Akireiki. If his power is from pain, he'll take the attack and get more power. Then we need to make each attack count! stated John. He held up Fuyu No Arashi. "Hōhyō!" An ice shelf materialized, compressed into a very sharp icicle, then plummeted towards Ryūketsu. "Fool," Ryūketsu spoke lowly as he grasped the hilt of his sword, sheathed on his back, just as the frozen make-shift spear flew down towards him, "you actually think just because your Spiritual Pressure is at a point your attacks can damage me, that I can't still break them? Laughable..." SWISH-CRRRRRRK-SLICE! With a single swing, a geyser of force and spritiual power was exerted in such a fantastic display, that the ice spear superheated, and then split in half, cracking altogether before turning into steam from the absolute force from the fury he put into a single swing of his blade, "...your so-called 'comradery 'isn't true power," Ryūketsu spoke in a guttural snarl, and if his faceplate would show a visage, it would be a red-eyed, heated glare, "its just a delusion that the weak make excuses for themselves when they can't overcome an obstacle alone! I spent centuries ''enduring pain ''and ''trial ''for this ''power, and you think by willing ''them into ''existence ''you have mastery ''greater ''than my own! ''FOOL!" ''SHFT-SHHHIIIIIIIINK...!!! With a single thrusting gesture of his blade, hundreds, no, thousands of chains erupted from the ground, all around John and all with the lethal possibility of entangling him and enrapturing him in their deadly barbed & numbing grip, and possibly shred him into nothing but disembowled chunks of meat. And then, those chains that erupted all around the Soul Reaper, reaching up to heights towering over tall buildings, whipped and slashed out at him, in many directions that seemed dizzying to any warrior facing the attacks. Yet they all were swatted like flies. John's Akireiki transformed into it's Yaibachi mode, a 7-jointed whip-sword, and began to knock each chain away. The speeds he moved at were comparable to the speeds Ichigo Kurosaki used when he stoped Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Unfortunately for John, like all whip-like gestures, they continued to assault them with greater fury and ferocity than before, never to be blocked entirely and effectively. Despite the power being equal to an ordinary Bankai, Fuhen Setsujoku is a Bankai that transcends any Captain or Lieutenant's Bankai of the past. With the power of a freight train behind the tensile strength of each of the chains, it would be next to impossible to keep fighting off the whips forever. Eventually, the Shikai level energies of maintaining three different sets, with one being a twin at that, his Spirit Energy would be sapped far before he'd be able to do damage against the likes of Ryūketsu's Fuhen Setsujoku form. They're closing in, and I like my body in one piece! mind-spoke a terrified John. Use my technique!" said the boisterous Haru Hyōki the male. Here goes everything! thought John. "Shirozokeru!" John disappeared and the chains collided with each other. "Where did he go?" Ryūketsu thought, as he retracted the chains and began to spread them out, all of them spreading out from the ground and air, like morbid weeds spreading among lively earth. A circle of them formed around Ryūketsu as a shield or a way of detecting the temporarily vanished Soul Reaper, awaiting his return at any moment. "Boo," John slashed downward with Akireiki in it's double-bladed Akumukokkaku form. CLAK-SCRAAAAAPE! "You should know that in all good horror stories, boy," Ryūketsu spoke in a grating, sadistic tone as the chains circling around him whipped out in a protective stance, before they spun around the boy's body in a tight, vice grip, slowly constricting around him while intending to dig the poisonous barbs into his flesh and induce muscular numbing sensations while keeping the nerve centers intact, "that the startling moment, is always just before the true terror emerges!" John smiled. "Where's Fuyu No Arashi?" His second Zanpakutō was not in his left hand. He had attempted to slash Ryūketsu with Akireiki alone. Fuyu No Arashi's externalization Yukihime slashed downwards on the chains, dropping their temperature to absolute zero and breaking them. She then faced Ryūketsu and sent an ice-wave at him screaming "FUBUKI!" "Nice try," SSSHFT-SLICE! "...but separating yourself from your master, just made yourself weaker, '''Zanpakutō," Ryūketsu snarled, as he used an accelerated Flash Step to avoid her familiar flash-freezing technique and appear behind her. With a vicious slash of his sword across her back with lethal, painful force, he intended to dematerialize her and render her useless to her owner for the time being. KA-TING! A man who appeared to be in flames blocked Ryūketsu's attack with his flamberge. "What do you think you are doing?" He deflected the attack, and sent a pulse wave to make Ryūketsu back off. He turned to Yukihime. "Sister, are you alright?" Yukihime smiled. "Yes, brother. I am well." Spirit of summer, right? asked John. Have you even been paying attention? asked Haru Hyōki the female. John narrowed his eyes at his Zanpakutō's sarcasm. Yes. He looked to the man in flames. "You're the last one?" The flame being was silent. "Your name is-" "Before you say that, answer me this," started the living flame. "Did you have a plan to save my sister?" John didn't speak a word. The flame being spat to the side. "You're weak. I cannot believe you are my master." He began to fade. "Brother!" called an angry and distressed Yukihime. "I would have switched places with her and have taken the full attack," answered John. The flame being rematerialized. "You would have had to abandon the others to do that. You are still a fool." "Then I would have used Shirozokeru to teleport us away." The flame being was unimpressed. "Too much time needed to use a skill you barely have had experience with." "I don't care." "That's right! You don't care at all!" yelled the man in flames. "You rely on us too much! My sister was almost hurt because of you!" "Brother..."Yukihime started. The man in flames put his hand to her face. "No, sister. This man is a coward and a free-loader. He does not deserve to wield me." John looked down. He was about to have some tearful confession about how he never deserved power and needed the man in flames to help him. Instead, he looked back up in anger. "If you have time to lecture me, then help me defeat this demon. Unless you really have better things to do, Ryojō." Ryojō glared at John. "You will not command me, human." "I am a Shinigami," responded John. "And right now, I need your help to beat this guy." "And what if I choose not to help?" asked a smug Ryojō. "If you do not help, Yukihime will die, and so will you," answered John. Ryojō was taken aback. "If you truly care for your sister, you will fight by her side and not argue with your wielder." Ryojō paused. He looked at Yukihime, and she nodded at him. He looked back to John, then began to flow into the red flamberge he held. As he floated in mid-air, he said, "Just this once, I'll help you out. But you're going to need a lot of time to gain my respect." Akireiki transformed into a skeleton cape resting onto Haru Hyōki the cape. John grasped Ryojō and bellowed, "Enter the Apex of Life, Ryojō!" John's right arm became engulfed in white flames, soon settling to where his right sleeve was bleached white with seemingly visible flame markings. He looked over to Ryūketsu, this time only charging towards his enemy, ready for the climax of the battle. The Season God Falls WHUMPF! "I don't like your little chit-chats, punk!" Before the cape could even fully materialize on John's being, Ryūketsu slammed his metal-spiked boot into his gut, intending on propelling him some distance, "and materializing your last '''Zanpakutō'' was foolish of you...with how much Spirit Energy you possess now, your body is about to be crushed from the power they possess and you cannot wield. Give up and I might just let you walk away with what dignity you have left, child!" John squinted his eyes, then bellowed, "Could you possibly waste more time jabbering on about how you're going to 'torture this' or 'evesicrate that'?! Dear Rei-Oh, you sound like Nodoka's freaking iPod!" He prepped a battle stance. He did not falter from Ryūketsu's attack, but he could feel the grand power of the four Zanpakutō. "I have more than enough aptitude to wield these Zanpakutō. And I don't want to hear anything about how you're going to destroy the Yonkō! Because compared to them..." John's reitatsu matched evenly with Mizu Kurosaki's Bankai. The density of the air within John's sword radius times 2 reached about 1K kg/m³, yet John breathed normally. The residual effects continued on for even Hikaru and the others at the Kurosaki Winery to get an accurate reading of John's power. Around the world, the other members of Hikaru's Upper Echelon sensed John's dramatic increase in power. "No, Ryūketsu Ōtamu. You can '''never' compare to the Yonkō." You idiot! yelled Ryojō. You can't contain this power! You'll die from using us before you try beating him! Just forfeit! called Yukihime. He may be angry, but if you repent to him, you may leave with your life! No! I can't! shouted back John. "I can't let my comrades down! I can't let them die!" He charged towards Ryūketsu, but stopped not even half-way. He began to glow in blues, reds, greens, and golds. The energy output became too great, and detonated in a huge rainbow-colored wave. The skies became perfectly clear, and the seas raged against the coast. The four Zanpakutō that John wielded disintigrated and reformed into one Zanpakutō. John felt their presences, but they felt distant. Even Akireiki. John gritted his teeth. "I...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." John looked over to his opponent. He was outclassed in every way. John had no control over his powers, and now he felt even more distant from his Zanpakutō than ever before. He shook from the pain, the agony, the failure. Tears flowed from John's scorched face. "I'm sorry, R-Ryūketsu. I didn't provide an adequate fight..." John began to fall towards the ocean below. There was no more power to be expended. He simply plummeted to the watery depths. The Outcome of the Battle: The Failure of the Master SNATCH! "There is always hope for the weak and the pathetic when they realize their own misgivings," Ryūketsu spoke gutturally, grasping the ankle of the unconscious Soul Reaper's form, now devoid of any of his Zanpakutō's properties, "I won't leave you without inflicting some pain for you to remember me by, as well as to help encourage you to learn this lesson of difference in power." WHOOSH-BOOM-CRUNCH! With a powered throw, Ryūketsu threw him into the beachside, causing an uproar of sand from the force he utilized in his throw. Before the body could fully rest on the beach, he Flash Stepped above him and slammed his boot into his skull, pressing him further into the sand beneath the soles of his foot... SSSSPRAAAAAACK!!! ...then finishing it, with a electrifying dose of painful-writhing surges of sensory attacks on his nerve endings, intent on reawakening him to feel a horrible, contorting pain for what would be the next several hours of his life. That is, if he had the will to survive it, as Ryūketsu took his foot off his head and began to walk away from the pain-inducing electrifying man, leaving him to his pain and suffering. "Understand that pain, and you will understand a fraction of my own, boy," Ryūketsu said with a sadistic smile, before completely vanishing from sight with a flickering motion, leaving the scarred battlefield and the presumably writhing and contorting boy. Hikaru arrived just in time to see Ryūketsu leave. He ran over to John and began healing him. As he healed his broken disciple, he shed a tear. "I'm sorry, John. I cannot begin to express my deep remorse." "I'm..." John coughed. "I'm not dead yet, Captain." He sat up, wincing as he moved. "Careful," said Hikaru. "You're still feeling the residual effects of that guy's attack." John could not face Hikaru. "I was such an idiot. I just did not want to lose." "I know, John." Hikaru could not face John either. "I should not have let you fight when you were not ready. It's my fault for not training you properly. I'm sorry." John looked at Hikaru with extreme surprise. "Master..." Hikaru stood up. "I cannot allow you to fight him again." John jolted, ignoring the pain wracking his body. "I have to fight him again! I can't just let him win like that!" Hikaru stretched his hand out to the sea, and the waters began to divide. "You cannot think you can beat him again." "Why not?!" yelled John. Hikaru turned the energy towards John, knocking him down to the sand. "John, you are not going to fight him again." John's body wailed in pain, but the defiant Soul Reaper at least got to his knees. "I have to! I cannot fail my teammates!" Hikaru stopped. "Is that what this is about?" John was silent. Then he said, "I want to show that I can protect anyone from any enemy." "You cannot protect anyone," coldly said Hikaru. "You've lost your Zanpakutō, your reitatsu has decreased by half, and you've been beaten within an inch of your life. And you still want to fight?" "YES!" yelled John with defiance and resolve. Hikaru looked at his disciple. The boy had much to learn and much to understand. "I cannot let you go on with these demons in your heart." "What?" "Come to my Winery when you have learned to let go of your failure all those years ago," said Hikaru. "I will not teach you if you do not let the past die. You cannot save them. You can only move forward, Yohaneden Kakusei." He left John to ponder his words. Redemption Hikaru sipped some of his tea. Truly, he hated tea, but he always drank a pot when he was depressed. This time though, he was on his 5th pot. I've never seen Hikaru-san this depressed, said Nodoka. "I didn't know Hikaru-san could get depressed," added Bella. She wore some black jeans and a red t-shirt. "He's always so upbeat. And tea helps him?" "He hates it," responded Mizu. He had just gotten back to the Winery after feeling the shock wave from John's power. "Hikaru is just like anyone else. He has the same emotions. Even the Yonkō aren't god-like." Hikaru started on his 6th pot of tea, then stopped. "Oh," Bella smiled. "Maybe he's gotten better." Hikaru smashed the pot of tea and wept bitterly on the table. Bella winced. "I've been wrong before." "John was the 6th Seat in the 7th Division," explained Mizu. "Guess Hikaru is a little emotional about that." "Give him some time," said a calm Rukia. "He may be sad, but he'll come around." "I hope John doesn't come around," Mizu spoke with venom. "I've had it with him." "It's not his fault," said Hikaru. "It's mine for not training him or any of my students properly." Nodoka slapped Hikaru. Everyone stopped. Just stop now. Hikaru sighed, "Sorry." KNOCK! KNOCK! "Hello?" It was John. "GO AWAY!" yelled Mizu. "We're closed!" There was more silence. "Hikaru...I want to apologize." Hikaru looked toward the door. "All this time, my fallen comrades were ghosts haunting me. These years have been hell, and I want to change." Loud thunks could be heard behind the door. "Please, Yonkō, Hikaru Kurosaki! Please train me to be a great Soul Reaper!" "Don't listen to him, Hikaru," said Mizu. "He's a failure, not worthy of our time." Hikaru stood up. "Were we so different?" The fallen comrades Hikaru had seen in his lifetime, thousands upon thousands flooded Hikaru's mind. He turned to the door. "Who do you fight for?" "The protection of the living and the peace of the dead," answered John. This phrase was the answer to the question Hikaru posed to each new member of the 7th Division when he was Captain. Hikaru opened the door. "Prove it." The training had begun.